Two filmmaking teams are on track for the silver screen with support from Screen NSW’s Short to Feature Fast Track program, set to accelerate their careers in the industry.
Recipients for 2026 include filmmaking team David Ma and Rebecca Metcalf [left] with short and feature film both titled Hostiles, and filmmaking team Jack Dodds, Abby Gallaway, Hannah-Rae Meegan and Monique Terry with short and feature film both titled Meat Raffle.
The Short to Feature Fast Track program, which first launched in 2023, supports emerging to mid-level NSW creatives with up to $75,000 in funding to produce a short film or proof of concept, as well as script development funds for a low budget feature film. The funding will support teams in advancing their projects to the next stage, while also assisting to attract further financing.
Screen NSW also pairs the successful teams with an experienced Executive Producer to provide guidance across both production of the short film and script development. This year award-winning producers Vincent Sheehan from Origma 45 (Fisk, Shayda) and Nick Batzias from Good Thing Productions (The Engagement, Nitram) have come on board for the program.
Through direct funding and strategic mentorship, the program will elevate fresh NSW voices and spotlight the next generation of filmmakers in the state, while expanding their professional networks in the screen industry.
Previous recipients of Short to Feature Fast Track across 2023 and 2024 have begun to screen their short films at film festivals around the world, gaining recognition for their work and securing further financing for their projects. Souvenir, produced by Yingna Lu and written and directed by Renée Marie Petropoulos, recently had its North American premiere at SXSW 2026, where it won the Narrative Shorts Competition. The Worm, directed by Tom Noakes, written by Will Goodfellow and produced by Adrian Pinto and Lucy Gaffy, was selected for Sundance Film Festival 2026, where it made its World Premiere. Following the short’s premiere, Princess Pictures (Together, Hotel, Hotel, Hotel, Hotel) announced they were boarding the teams’ follow up feature film, The Answerers, which is developed with support of the initiative.
Earlier this month, Souvenir and The Worm were announced as part of the 73rd Sydney Film Festival lineup. Also selected to screen In Competition for the Dendy Award for Australian Short Films at the Festival is Saint Valentine, written and directed by Vanessa Gazy and produced by Cyna Strachan and Liam Heyen of Mad Ones.
The program demonstrates Screen NSW’s ongoing commitment as part of the three-year NSW Screen & Digital Games Strategy, to nurturing new ideas and talent to ensure NSW leads the way in making enriching, high calibre stories and cultural content for local and global audiences.
Screen NSW Executive Director Kylie Munnich said: “The Short to Feature Fast Track program continues to support new and exciting voices in NSW, taking selected filmmaking teams to the next level in their careers. Short films are a fantastic way for filmmakers to hone their skills and can also act as a calling card for securing market interest and further financing. This program works to not only support these filmmakers experiment and develop their creative skills, but also by expanding their professional networks ensuring they are set for success.
“Three years in, the program has a proven track record of supporting teams of a high calibre, who are creating projects that resonate locally and travel globally. I look forward to seeing this year’s projects continue to develop.”
Origma 45 Founder and Producer Vincent Sheehan said: “Short to Feature Fast Track offers a vital bridge for talented teams navigating the significant leap from short-form to feature-length storytelling. The program helps alleviate the pressure of becoming bogged down in the mechanics or in perceived industry conventions that can sometimes stifle bold, original thinking. It creates space for creativity to thrive, supported by experienced practitioners who are already inspired by the teams’ new, distinctive voices and ideas.”
Short To Feature Fast Track Recipients
HOSTILES
Short film: Hostiles
Synopsis: A staged hostage exercise spirals when a group of rival media personalities push the simulation too far, forcing them to reconstruct the incident in real time, as competing versions of the truth begin to take hold.
Feature film: Hostiles
Synopsis: During a hostile environment training course for journalists and internet personalities, one of the participants is critically injured in a simulation pushed too far, and when the group is locked in a room to agree on an official account, they must decide whether to protect their careers or admit that each of them helped cause it.
Key Creatives: David Ma (Producer), Rebecca Metcalf (Writer/Director)
Executive Producer: Vincent Sheehan (Origma 45)
MEAT RAFFLE
Short film and feature film: Meat Raffle
Synopsis: When Karli Boody returns to her drought ravaged hometown of Dirt Springs, she wins the local meat raffle, only to discover she’s the sacrificial lamb. Marked for human sacrifice to bring the rain, Karli must fight to survive as she uncovers a ruthless, cult-like family running the town and begins to suspect her mother’s death was part of their twisted traditions.
Key Creatives: Jack Dodds (Co-Writer), Abby Gallaway (Co-Writer/Co-Director), Hannah-Rae Meegan (Co-Writer/Producer), Monique Terry (Co-Writer/Co-Director)
Executive Producer: Nick Batzias (Good Thing Productions)
Previous Executive Producers for the program have included:
•Kath Shelper, Scarlett Pictures
•Kristian Moliere, Triptych Pictures
•Kristina Ceyton, Causeway Films
•Kylie du Fresne, Goalpost Pictures
•Marian Macgowan, Macgowan Films
•Liz Watts, See-Saw Films
•Timothy White, Southern Light Films
Main Image: [clockwise from top left] Jack Dodds, Hannah-Rae Meegan, Abby Gallaway and Monique Terry
